Do You Remember The Time...

Good morning all,

I apologize for this week’s letter being a day late. I didn’t quite know what to write about, and it seemed better to wait for some inspiration - a tactic that probably won’t work on a Sunday morning.

This is our final week of our sermon series on family, and we’ll be looking at the story of Rahab. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Rahab was the mother of Boaz, Ruth’s husband in Bethlehem. However, nothing in scripture beyond the genealogy of Matthew talks about Rahab’s family life. Prior to family life though, that’s another story - a dramatic one at that.

It always amazes my kids when I can shoot a basketball and make it or swing a softball bat and hit the ball. There is a sense of awe that I have acquired skills prior to their arrival in my life; their eyes just grow big when I allude to the variety of stories and life experiences I had before them as well. (Apparently I acquired those sports skills on sports teams!)

Nellie Bly was 6 or 7 years old when her father passed away, and she was 31 years old when she married her husband. When they married Nellie’s husband’s health was already failing, and so she worked to take over and run Iron Clad Manufacturing Co, a steel container manufacturer. And, if you met her during this time period, you may be completely oblivious to the life she led prior to her marriage.

I mention Nellie’s father passing, because that was the beginning of her first life’s adventure. Upset about an article talking about girls and women having a place in the home (and those that didn’t follow that social rule were “monsters”), Nellie wrote a response to the editor. Which earned her a job with the newspaper!

Prior to her marriage, Nellie was the pioneer of investigative journalism both beating Jules Verne’s fictional speculation of needing 80 days to travel around the world and breaking open a case regarding mental asylum conditions leading to reform of the industry!

I share this because (1) Nellie Bly was a badass, and (2) because often in life we’re given the opportunities for multiple adventures. Have you asked your family members about what some of their adventures were before you were around, before children or marriage, before their current or last career?

I look forward to worship on Sunday where we’ll explore a scriptural woman who was a badass and talk about the interesting people who make up our family tree.

Peace,

Rev Elizabeth

Post script - To learn about more incredible women throughout history, check out Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

Post post script - “Ass” is not a bad word; it’s in the Bible.